Saturday, December 27, 2008

This one little ornament..........

This little guy doesn't look like much but to myself and my two sisters this ornament gives us the chance to remember our Christmas' past. Growing up we had the most magical Christmas's that anyone could ever hope for. No, there weren't a ton of presents under the tree, as a matter of fact there are few presents that I remember but I never, ever, forget how I love Christmas. It always started out with us getting one of the old pickups out and cramming our whole family into it. We traveled just a little ways to what is called Cedar Canyon. We looked and looked for the perfect tree, which somehow always seemed to be 3 canyons over. The smells of those cedar trees, the feel of the cold wind on my cheeks, the blue berries that covered the trees, the fun we had picking them will always be forever embedded in my heart and head. We then would take it home, many times singing Christmas songs and have hot cocoa while waiting for dad to put the tree in a bucket and set it up. Now this wasn't just out of the packet hot cocoa it was creamy hot milk with cocoa, sugar and vanilla added to it. Our tree was cedar as you guessed from the name of the canyon that we picked it from, probably not a perfect shape but ooh how I thought it was beautiful, the smelled filled the room (some would say they don't like the smell of cedar but to me it was wonderful). We all would decroate it and the last ornament to be put on the tree was this little 'Silent Night' ornament. After both mom and dad were gone we girls had the hard chore of deciding who got what. To me it was amazing what grace we did this with however the one thing everyone wanted was.......you got it, the 'Silent Night' ornament. Being the politician of the family I came up with the idea of passing the ornament from home to home so that we all got our time with it. It works fairly well, however in the 17 years that we have done that I have only had it a few times.........but that is ok, this year it is proudly displayed at the top of my tree. I am thinking that this will be my last year, seems like it is time to let that beautiful little ornament go. I will always hold dear my wonderful memories of my Christmas past, however with all wonderful things there is a time, a time to let go. Now that I am grandma, I have new traditions, new ornaments, and I am always amazed at the ones my children remember from our past trees. This year I was lucky to have Brandi and Jaxon spend time with me before Christmas and little Jaxon renewed my love of Christmas watching him push, pull, pack, shake, sleep on his present that was under the tree. He, Emma, Adrianne, Jaxon and Taylor all touch, hang and rehang the ornaments while looking at them. I see a glimpse of my childhood in them, and my soul sings out for that joy of Christmas' past, present and future.